千と千尋の神隠し 予告編の緊迫した場面

What does “modore” mean in Japanese?

When Haku shouts 戻れ (modore), “get back!”, he’s using Japanese’s plain command form (命令形) — the bluntest way to give an order. For u-verbs like 戻る (to return) and 走る (to run), you swap the final sound to -e: 戻る→戻れ, 走る→走れ (hashire, “run!”). It’s far too harsh for everyday requests, which is exactly why it lands in a life-or-death moment.

You’ll rarely use 命令形 yourself — real requests take 〜てください — but you’ll hear it constantly in anime, sports, and emergencies. The scene stacks it up: 来てはいけない (“you must not come here”), 急いで (“hurry”), 川の向こうへ走れ (“run to the other side of the river”). Haku also says 私が時間を稼ぐ — 時間を稼ぐ, literally “earn time,” meaning “I’ll buy you time.”